So far no resolution to the Pinyon Pines murder trial

A house fire led to the discovery of three bodies on Sept. 17, 2006. It wasn't until 2014 that two suspects were publicly identified in what became one of the Coachella Valley's biggest murder mysteries.
Colin Atagi/The Desert Sun

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Cristin Smith, left, and Robert Pape, right, attend the hearing where the two men are accused of killing three people in Pinyon Pines in 2006. The hearing was at the Riverside County Hall of Justice.(Photo: Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun)Buy Photo

As of Tuesday afternoon, deliberations are ongoing and no verdict has been made in the Pinyon Pines murder trial.

Closing arguments wrapped up last week in the trial of Robert Pape and Cristian Smith. Jurors began deliberating the case late May 23 before taking an extended break over the Memorial Day weekend.

Pape and Smith are suspects in the 2006 slayings of Jon Hayward, Vicki Friedli and her 18-year-old daughter, Rebecca "Becky" Friedli. Their bodies were discovered in or outside their Pinyon Pines home, which had been set on fire.

Hayward and Vicki Friedli both died from gunshot wounds, but investigators never identified Becky Friedli's cause of death because her body was badly burned. Her body was discovered outside her home in a wheelbarrow.

Pape and Smith were arrested in March 2014, but charges were abruptly dropped several months later. They were re-arrested in July 2016 after new evidence against them was uncovered, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's office.

Investigators say Pape was supposed to go hiking in Pinyon Pines the night of the murders with Becky Friedli, who was his ex-girlfriend. Authorities say they discovered evidence pointing to him and Smith, but defense attorneys say none of it is enough to support a conviction.

Their trial began April 16 and it included testimony from about 45 witnesses.

If convicted, Pape and Smith face up to life in prison. Last year, authorities announced they wouldn't pursue the death penalty against Pape, who qualified because he was 18 years old at the time of the murders. Smith was 17 years old.